1) FIRE DANGER! It has been hot & dry and the Dog Park is really, really dried out. Dry grass + dry trails = Extreme Fire Danger!Smoking is prohibited in Marymoor Park – please comply with this law. Please call 911 if you see any fires at Marymoor Park. Please “wet down” any smoldering areas on the trails of the Dog Park with water (plastic poop bags filled with river water work great). YOU can help prevent Dog Park fires!

2) GRASS SEEDS! The tall grass at Marymoor has gone to seed early this year – a natural process that reseeds our fields and keeps them healthy. During these summer months, be sure to carefully check your dog after each visit to the Dog Park and remove any “seeds” that may have gathered in his/her furry coat, ears and eyes. Remember that these seeds can work their way down to and even penetrate, your dog’s skin potentially causing major irritations. A “seed check” after your Dog Park visit is highly recommended!

3) CAR BREAK-INS! Help prevent car break-ins by NOT leaving valuables in your car when you park at Marymoor. Sign-boards are now posted at parking lot entrances reminding you to take valuables with you when you park. “Smash and Dash” is no fun when you are the victim!

Thanks for taking the time to read these reminders!

]]>http://www.soda.org/2015/three-summer-reminders-for-marymoor-dog-park/feed/0SPRING REMINDER: Be a Good Neighbor … Leash your dog when outside of the Dog Park!http://www.soda.org/2015/spring-reminder-be-a-good-neighbor-leash-your-dog-when-outside-of-the-dog-park/
http://www.soda.org/2015/spring-reminder-be-a-good-neighbor-leash-your-dog-when-outside-of-the-dog-park/#commentsSun, 05 Apr 2015 22:42:51 +0000http://www.soda.org/?p=1804SPRING REMINDER for Marymoor:Be a GOOD Neighbor….Our Dog Park sits in the middle of Marymoor’s 600-plus acres. We are surrounded by “Neighbors” on all sides. Parks has provided us with a 42 acre area for enjoying off-leash dog recreation. Parks has also allocated specific areas to our “Neighbors” for carrying out and enjoying their activities. If you are walking or playing with your dog off-leash outside of the Dog Park boundaries, Your actions are noticed by others and get reported to Parks. This reflects badly on our Dog Area! If we, as dog owners, expect others to respect our right to have an Off-Leash Dog Park, we MUST respect our “Neighbors” right to have their areas! Thank you….

]]>http://www.soda.org/2015/spring-reminder-be-a-good-neighbor-leash-your-dog-when-outside-of-the-dog-park/feed/0The Great Blue Heron are nesting again at Marymoor Dog Parkhttp://www.soda.org/2015/the-great-blue-heron-are-nesting-at-marymoor-dog-park/
http://www.soda.org/2015/the-great-blue-heron-are-nesting-at-marymoor-dog-park/#commentsSun, 05 Apr 2015 22:04:48 +0000http://www.soda.org/?p=1791SURELY YOU HAVE NOTICED? The Great Blue Heron have returned to the Marymoor Dog Park nesting colony or “heronry” for the fourth year and have been preparing nests for their 2015 babies. The heron continue to bring in branches and twigs to construct nests in the tallest cottonwood trees. Some heron may have already laid eggs and we expect to see and hear “babies” squawking in the nests by May. The nests will be home to the babies for 65-90 days while they are nurtured by their parents, grow into adults and then fly away. The “heronry” area will be temporarily fenced-off to keep people and dogs from getting too close. The area will remain closed until nesting is complete in July.

]]>http://www.soda.org/2015/the-great-blue-heron-are-nesting-at-marymoor-dog-park/feed/0VOLUNTEERS NEEDED EVERYDAY at MARYMOOR DOG PARK!http://www.soda.org/2015/volunteers-needed-everyday-at-marymoor-dog-park/
http://www.soda.org/2015/volunteers-needed-everyday-at-marymoor-dog-park/#commentsSun, 25 Jan 2015 23:49:12 +0000http://www.soda.org/?p=1779YOU can be an EVERYDAY volunteer … Join the S.O.D.A. “Clean Team”! Not all S.O.D.A. members and supporters are able to attend the big maintenance and improvement Work Parties that S.O.D.A. organizes. But everyone can be an everyday volunteer by helping to keep our Marymoor Dog Park CLEAN! Join the hundreds of dog park “Clean Team” participants that regularly carry extra “pick up bags” and use them to pick up missed “poops” and litter. Our Dog Park is a valuable resource and you can help treat it with care and respect by voluntarily doing EXTRA clean-up each time you visit the Dog Park. We are especially looking for volunteers that are willing to regularly walk out into the grassy field areas and to do extra “clean up” – will you help? Our dog(s) will thank you for keeping their Dog Park a clean and healthy environment.

]]>http://www.soda.org/2015/volunteers-needed-everyday-at-marymoor-dog-park/feed/0Grandview has a NEW stewardship group – DOGS!http://www.soda.org/2015/grandview-has-a-new-stewardship-group-dogs/
http://www.soda.org/2015/grandview-has-a-new-stewardship-group-dogs/#commentsMon, 05 Jan 2015 19:14:14 +0000http://www.soda.org/?p=1765A New & Exciting Beginning for Grandview!

S.O.D.A.’s Management Contract for Grandview Dog Park expired at the end of 2014 … S.O.D.A. will no longer be accepting donations designated for the care of Grandview Dog Park. We are pleased to announce that a new stewardship organization named DOGS OF GRANDVIEW SUPPORTERS (DOGS) has been formed. The new Grandview stewardship group, DOGS, will need your ongoing financial and volunteer support in order to keep off-leash fun and activity at Grandview:

Please email grandviewoffleash@gmail.com to join the DOGS mailing list so that you can receive future updates about the exciting changes coming to Grandview!

S.O.D.A. is pleased to support the management transition of Grandview Dog Park to DOGS by funding (paying for) the majority of the 2015 operational costs of Grandview. Organized by a core group of qualified Grandview Dog Park enthusiasts, DOGS has become a registered WA State non-profit corporation and is in the process of application for 501(c)(3) status with a mission to continue supporting off-leash dog recreation at Grandview Park. DOGS has also negotiated a new 10 year maintenance and operations contract with the City of SeaTac which will enable Grandview Park to continue as an off-leash recreation area going into the future. DOGS will begin fundraising in 2015 to raise money so that they can assume all of the operational and stewardship costs of Grandview in 2016 and beyond. IF you LOVE Grandview Dog Park, please support DOGS!

]]>http://www.soda.org/2015/grandview-has-a-new-stewardship-group-dogs/feed/0READ THIS: Three Pieces of GOOD News for Marymoor Dog Parkhttp://www.soda.org/2014/read-this-three-pieces-of-good-news-for-marymoor-dog-park/
http://www.soda.org/2014/read-this-three-pieces-of-good-news-for-marymoor-dog-park/#commentsSun, 09 Nov 2014 23:04:02 +0000http://www.soda.org/?p=16983 Pieces of GOOD NEWS for Marymoor – Read all about it!

1) Finally! The Nov 1, 2014 Hog Fuel Work Party #3 Gallery is up at http://www.soda.org/marymoor-2014-gallery/ . If you scroll down through the whole 2014 Gallery you will see the photos of volunteers from all three work parties. Did you know that 651.5 hours of volunteer time was donated by 205 volunteers to spread 828 cubic yards (18 piles) of Hog Fuel in 2014? That’s a lot of HARD WORK – check out the gallery and see who deserves our gratitude!

2) Salmon Fences come down Nov 5! The Marymoor Park Maintenance Crew will be removing the Salmon Closure Fencing in the Sammamish River Wed, Nov 5. The excess rain over the past month has raised water levels to allow the early removal of the fences this year. Thank you everyone, for your outstanding co-operation and compliance to the closure restrictions during this year’s salmon runs.

3) King County Deputies break up Marymoor Park car-prowl ring – Arrest 3! There have been some 3-dozen victims whose cars were prowled in Marymoor Park over the past four months. Please be sure to read this FOX 13 News article about how they were caught due to an observant Marymoor Park patron who called 911. If YOU had your car prowled at Marymoor Park lately, call the King County Sheriff’s Office. AND REMEMBER: To protect ourselves, never leave anything of value in your car while at the Dog Park! Read about it: http://q13fox.com/2014/11/04/king-county-deputies-break-up-car-prowl-ring-arrest-three/

]]>http://www.soda.org/2014/read-this-three-pieces-of-good-news-for-marymoor-dog-park/feed/0Car Break-ins ARE happening in Marymoor Dog Park Lots!http://www.soda.org/2014/three-important-summer-reminders/
http://www.soda.org/2014/three-important-summer-reminders/#commentsTue, 22 Jul 2014 01:58:31 +0000http://www.soda.org/?p=1342CAR BREAK-INS! You better believe it – car break-ins DO take place in the Marymoor Dog Park parking lots! Signs are posted at entrances warning you to NOT leave valuables in your car. “Smash and Dash” is no fun when you are the victim!

AUGUST 16, 2012: A “NO SMOKING LAW” was signed by Dow Constantine, King County Executive, on July 28, 2012 banning smoking in King County Parks. This “NO SMOKING LAW” applies to Marymoor Dog Park. PLEASE KEEP OUR DOG PARK PATRONS SAFE FROM THE HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH TOBACCO PRODUCTS BY NOT SMOKING IN THE DOG PARK – THANK YOU!

]]>http://www.soda.org/2012/please-no-smoking-at-marymoor/feed/0Blue Heron nesting in Marymoor Dog Parkhttp://www.soda.org/2012/blue-heron-colony-nesting-in-marymoor-dog-park/
http://www.soda.org/2012/blue-heron-colony-nesting-in-marymoor-dog-park/#commentsWed, 04 Jan 2012 00:54:03 +0000http://66.147.244.224/~sodaorg/?p=1SPRING/SUMMER 2012 : In February, a group of Blue Heron started gathering in the tall cottonwood trees at one of the busiest intersections of the Dog Park near the Main Beach. Soon they were pairing-up and flying-in twigs and small branches to build 11 nests in the tallest tree branches. Herons nest in colonies called “rookeries” or “heronries”. This is very exciting as Blue Heron have not nested at Marymoor in at least 20 years! The “heronry” area has now been temporarily fenced-off to keep people and dogs from getting too close. The baby’s began hatching in May. Now they are getting big and sqwauking loudly when parents feed them. Some babies may fall out of the nests before they can fly. This is a natural part of heron nesting. The most important thing is to let the herons handle the situaton themselves. The parents may come down and tend to a fallen baby if they feel they can do so safely. So if you see a baby heron on the ground, make sure neither you nor your dogs get close. PLEASE leave the baby heron alone so that nature can take its course. Great Blue Heron eat mostly fish, but also frogs, voles, etc. They are almost 4 feet tall, with a 6 foot wingspan, but weigh less than 5.5 pounds. They lay 3-5 eggs per nest and both parents tend to the young. The eggs hatch about one month after they are laid and the young will be free flying about two months later. Nesting should be complete by the end of July.